Conception

Conception Island lies only 2km northwest of Thérèse Island and about 2km northeast of the Mahé headland at Cap Matoopa.

One of the largest of Mahé's satellites, Conception is hilly with a mountainous ridge running virtually its entire length. The island is 1km long, 600m wide, 131m high and covered in coconut trees.

Conception was exploited as a coconut plantation until the mid-1970's but has remained abandoned and uninhabited since then, its hilly aspect and lack of beach placing constraints on its development.

The island has recently been created a wildlife reserve to protect its population of Seychelles white-eyed zosterops, a rare endemic species of bird.

Other birds to be found on Conception include the Seychelles kestrel, Seychelles blue pigeon, malagasy turtle dove as well as such threatened endemic species as the skink, green gecko, bronze eye gecko and hawksbill turtle.